Too Late
by Annie Lovegood
Summary: Four years pass by... Peter finally understands his feelings... but he comes too late... will he end up with his Wendy-lady? r&r!
1. Forgetting

Forgetting  
  
Lyrics: Evanescence – "Taking Over Me"  
  
You don't remember me But I remember you I lie awake an try so hard Not to think of you But who can decide what they dream?  
  
And dream I do...  
  
One year. One year had already passed since Peter left her there, in the nursery room. But she hadn't given it up... until that night. She stood by the window looking at the shining stars, waiting for him. But life couldn't remain like that. She couldn't wait for him every night until her death. And she could almost see that he had forgotten her, though she remembered him too well.  
  
I believe in you I'll give up everything just to find you I have to be with you to breathe to live You're taking over me.  
  
So well that every night she woke trying to scream his name... though she only whispered it. And after that she would lie awake trying not to think of him, but he was always there... haunting her. When her brothers asked her if she believed that Peter was real she always told them she didn't... though she did. And she believed in him so much that she would give up everything just to find him.  
  
I look in the mirror and see your face If I look deep enough So many things inside that are Just like you are taking over  
  
She looked in the mirror, but she didn't see her face. Instead she saw his face looking back at her. She touched the mirror, blind by the image of her beloved Peter, never noticing it was just a mirror that showed lies. "Wendy, darling, it is time." "But I can't understand why, mother." "Tomorrow you'll be fourteen, dear... This is your last night as a child... the last one you spend in this room." "... And today I'm going to tell my last story, isn't it, mother?" asked Wendy, already knowing the answer, letting tears drop from her eyes. "Don't worry, dear. It'll be just fine. The same happened to me when my parents told me to grow up." Wendy softly smiled at her mother while she went out of the nursery room. Then, she turned to the window and, with pain in her heart she spoke, looking at the stars. "I'm sorry, Peter, but I must grow up and forget all my childish dreams – that includes you. I've been waiting for you and you haven't come. You have forgotten me and I shall do the same to you, though it is painful. I just wanted to tell you that I lo... liked you very much but... it's destiny. I must let go." As she said this the pain grew bigger and worse. The same happened to Peter, who was in the roof, listening to his Wendy- lady. The pain was growing and he gasped as his kiss, the acorn he gave her, dropped from her hands, falling into the snow. And he almost screamed when she closed the window, tears pouring across her beautiful and young face. 


	2. Dreams, Neighbours and Stories

Dreams, Neighbours and Stories  
  
...Suddenly, Wendy was in her bed, sleeping silently... And suddenly she woke feeling the warm touch of a hand she knew. Peter's hand. She opened her eyes and saw the boy sha had loved once. But in that dream she still loved him. She moved forward to kiss his cheek but he stepped back. "You can't do that, Wendy. You've forgotten me." "No, I haven't or I wouldn't be dreaming about you." She grabbed his hand. "This dream is only a merely coincidence." he explained, "Now I'll go away and I'll never disturb your dreams again, Miss Darling..." He let go off her hand and flied through the window, while she lied in her bed, crying...  
  
... Wendy woke up, breathing heavily, her chest growing up and down along with her breath. Why?... She hadn't been dreaming about him for two years and now the dreams had come back. It already was three years since he had left her, but she didn't mind it. She was now a true young lady and had forgotten him. But this dream had scared her... A stupid dream about him had been enough to scare her... She felt like a child while the tears travelled across her beautiful face. ++++++++ Mrs. Darling came in the room, smiling to her daughter. "Wendy, my dear, me and your father want you to meet some friends of ours. They'll visit us this afternoon." "May I know who are they?" "They're the Thompson family and they're going to be our new neighbours. I'm sure you'll know how to behave, but I'm just warning." "Of course I will, mother. After all, I'm sixteen. I'm a lady." Wendy smiled to her mother. "Now, my darling, why don't you dress your blue dress?" "I will, mother. You may be sure of that. I won't disappoint you." ++++++++ Wendy looked at the mirror once again. Everything in her looked just beautiful... except for her eyes. The expression in her eyes was far from being fine. They looked just liked she hadn't slept all night because of a nightmare involving bad things from her past. And that was exactly what had happened. And there was nothing she could do to make the expression in her eyes change. Absolutely nothing. She looked again into the mirror. Her dress was light blue and almost showed her shoulders. She wore a pearl necklace and her brown hear covered her semi-naked shoulders, what a cascade of curls running down her back. She had a soft make-up – just a little blush and a soft lipstick and her eyes were lined. She looked like a doll. She liked it but all in the same she didn't, never knowing why. She went out of the room and came into the living room. The guests where already there as she had thought. She took a glance at them. There were a man, a woman, a boy and a girl, both seeming to have the same age as she did. Aunt Millicent was there, never taking her eyes off Wendy. Slightly was there too, sitting with her six brothers. "I believe this is the young Miss Darling." said the man. "Yes, she is, Louis." Wendy bowed and smiled. "Wendy, these are going to be our new neighbours." remembered her mother. "I believe they'll like this place." "I'm Mark, milady, and this is my twin sister, Annie." said the boy, holding Wendy's hand a kissing the back of it, just like a true gentleman. He had dark brown hair and deep green eyes. His twin sister looked a lot like him, though her hair was lighter. Wendy simply smiled at this wonderful behaviour. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Thompson." "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Darling." "You look just like your mother, Miss Darling." said the woman "Oh, and by the way, I'm Joanne and this is my husband Louis." "Pleased to meet you." Wendy bowed and smiled again. Then, she turned to Aunt Millicent, who had a glorious smile in her face. ++++++++ Wendy was upstairs in the guests' room along with her two new friends – Annie and Mark Thompson. Somehow Wendy felt like she wanted to tell stories and that was what she asked for. "Well, I know this is a bit childish, but... would you like to hear a story?" "Er, yes, I think it's a good idea, I mean, no one is childless." "What story are you going to tell us?" She was about to tell her Cinderella story when she realised she didn't remember it. Neither Cinderella nor any other tale... except for one, one she remembered so well as if it had been yesterday. "There was once a girl named Wen... Hannah, who lived with her brothers, James and Charles..." Wendy started telling the story she remembered so well, the one that had been her story. The only alteration was in the names – she didn't want them to make fun of her. She tried to stop telling it but her tongue wouldn't let her. When she was in the middle she finally stopped it. "Will you excuse me for one second, please?" she said walking into her room. She looked into the mirror and saw that her face was turning a bit pale. "Why am I doing this?" she whispered softly. But no one answered her. She had to go back to the guests' room and finish her love story that took applauses from both Mark and Annie. "You're good at making up stories" said Annie. "How can I? This was not made up!" she thought to herself and giving a fake smile. "You could be a writer!" said Mark. "That is no future for a lady. That is no future for me." Wendy answered.  
  
A/N: So guys this is it for now. Chapter 3 on progress, hope you liked these two and please review!! 


	3. Cinderella and the Dinner

Cinderella and the Dinner  
  
"Oh, who is this lovely gentleman?" a woman cried, observing the young man that stood in front of her.  
  
"It's just me, Ma." the young man said, smiling charmingly.  
  
"No, dear, it can't be. You are different from when I met you!" she smiled motherly to him "Oh, dear, I hope you behave as well as you look tonight!"  
  
"Of course I will, Ma."  
  
"Oh, my little man!" she was almost crying with happiness. She stood up and hugged hm. "Thank you!"  
  
"For what, sweetheart?"  
  
"For being so good for me and for teaching me everything you know."  
  
"You don't need to."  
  
"I love you, Ma."  
  
"I love you too, sweetheart."  
  
--------  
  
Wendy looked at the dress that lied on her bed. It was simple and blue. She wondered about what was the occasion, but put the dress on and looked at the mirror.  
  
"Hey, Wendy..."  
  
"Michael, haven't I told you to knock on the door before entering? What are you looking at?" she asked when she saw that her brother was looking at her with his mouth wide open.  
  
"You look just like Cinderella! At least for what you used to say in your stories..."  
  
"Michael... Anyway what were you about to ask?"  
  
"I... Wendy, will the nursery window be open again?"  
  
"What?... Oh, the nursery window... I don't think it will be open again... Peter forgot us... Well, that's if he's real, which I doubt."  
  
"Yes, he is, Wendy. You can't forget him, Wendy, you can't... You loved him... He loved you..." he said, crying.  
  
Wendy didn't know what to do. She herself wanted to cry, but instead of doing that she hugged her little brother.  
  
"Michael, sweetheart, what happened? Why are you crying, dear?" asked Mrs. Darling who lied near the door.  
  
"Nothing, mother, he just had a bad nightmare this night... and he's still afraid of it..." answered Wendy, not daring to tell the whole truth to her dear mother.  
  
"Now, dear, don't cry for that. It was just your imagination. Now, would you get dressed, sweetheart? We can't be late for the dinner at Mr. Wiseman's house." Michael nodded and went out off the room, cleaning his tears.  
  
"Mother, can you please explain me what is this dinner about?"  
  
"Well, you know that your father is trying to get a better position at the bank... and some days ago, your father was observed by Mr. Wiseman, who is the vice-president of the bank, doing his work. And Mr. Wiseman liked the way he worked and invited us to have dinner at his house, just to talk with your father and see if he can be promoted, darling."  
  
"But why are the boys and I going?"  
  
"I don't know why, in fact. Mr. Wiseman just told your father to bring his children... And it will be a way for you to prove that you are a true lady."  
  
Wendy smiled, but her mother noticed something: it wasn't Wendy's beautiful and motherly smile; it was a sad smile, full of tiredness.  
  
"What happened, dear? You seem sad and tired."  
  
"It's nothing, mother. I've just been having some bad nights..."  
  
--------  
  
Mr. Wiseman's house was really big. It was as big as the garden, which seemed to have every type of flowers that existed in the world. Wendy wondered what would it be like to run in there, with no shoes, just with a nightgown. It would be like a dream...  
  
Suddenly, her attention was on the door that was opened, showing a man that seemed to have the same age as her father.  
  
"Mr. Darling, welcome to my house." He said happily, shaking her father's hand "And these lovely children are all yours?"  
  
"Well... Yes... they are."  
  
They entered the big mansion, which seemed to get bigger and bigger.  
  
"Shall I have your coat, madam?" asked a man.  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
After walking through the hall, they entered in a medium-sized room, very comfortable, with sofas leaning against the walls. There was a simple chandelier and there was a little table among the sofas. It seemed to be a waiting room.  
  
In that room there were two more people: a woman and a young man that seemed to be as young as Wendy, who was simply looking at him. 


	4. The Tale

4. The Tale  
  
"Wendy, are you feeling alright?" her mother whispered.  
  
"Yes, I am, mother." But she wasn't. She hardly held a gasp and tried to remember it better. She knew him... His blonde hair, his blue-green eyes... everything. That young man looked just like... No, it couldn't be him. After all, that boy was grown-up... But before she could do or say anything, the boy took her hand and kissed it.  
  
"Good evening, miss. I am Peter Wiseman." He said, bowing.  
  
The name hit Wendy's head with a sharp pain. He couldn't be Peter Pan but it seemed too obvious.  
  
"Pleased to meet, Mr. Wiseman. I'm Wendy Darling." She bowed not taking his eyes off him.  
  
Suddenly she saw something. At the glimpse of the name the boy's eyes started to shine even more and Wendy saw adventure and imagination in them. That vision suddenly turned into two people: one boy wrapped in vines and a girl wearing a white nightgown. They were dancing. She and Peter were flying and dancing, with no music at all. She did remember that wonderful moment which brought a conclusion to her: that boy who lied in front of her was, with no doubt, Peter Pan. "Dear, are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"I am fine, mother. Don't worry."  
  
"Well, I guess dinner's ready." Mr. Wiseman announced "The dining room is this way." He said showing the way to the guests. Peter and Wendy were left behind.  
  
"May I lead you to the dining room, Miss Darling?"  
  
Wendy who didn't want to accept the request, forced a smile and behaved like a true lady.  
  
"If you mean too, Mr. Wiseman."  
  
"Can you excuse me, please?"  
  
"Where are you going, Wendy?"  
  
"I'd fancy a walk in the garden."  
  
"Peter, you wouldn't mind leading Miss Darling to the garden, would you?"  
  
"No, mother, of course I'll lead her."  
  
They were among the flowers, walking silently. Sometimes Peter spoke a bit about the garden and Wendy simply nodded, trying not to look at him and admiring the flowers. Anyone could see how embarrassed they were.  
  
"You know, I missed you a lot, Wendy-lady."  
  
"I missed you a 'bit' too, Peter" she said, avoiding his eyes and finishing the conversation. They went a few steps and Peter re-started the onverstion.  
  
"You threw my acorn away."  
  
"What? Sorry, ut I don't know what are you talking about!"  
  
"I was watching you in the day you decided to let go... I watched you every day until that one."  
  
"And you left me making a fool of myself during one year. Why didn't you show up?"  
  
"I... I don't know. I was afraid you could kiss me again and I... I thought that then you'd make me to grow up... I guess I was... afraid of you."  
  
"Afraid of me?" she said, at the verge of tears. "I loved you and the only thing you did was to stay in the roof watching me while I was speaking to the stars, desperate to find you! I slept by the window, just in case you'd come and you couldn't just whisper a "Good night"! You..."  
  
"Don't cry, Wendy-lady! I'm sorry if I hurt you..." Peter didn't know what to do, but he moved forward to clean her tears. She abruptly turned her face, not letting him do what he wanted to.  
  
"Don't dare! Don't dare to touch me!"  
  
"Wendy, please, don't be like that. You're still my Wendy..."  
  
"No, I am not your Wendy. In fact, I think you don't deserve to be loved by anyone!" she started walking away from him, then she was running.  
  
After all, he had been at her house every night but didn't even try to say hello. She didn't believe she could have loved him.  
  
Suddenly, she tumbled and fell in the grass letting go off her shoes. She started crying when Peter came and sat near her.  
  
"I... I'm sorry!"  
  
"Go away!"  
  
"I..."  
  
"I told you to go away!"  
  
He lied there quietly hearing Wendy's painful cry. After some minutes he spoke.  
  
"After seeing you dropping my acorn, I went mad. I flew through the skies and then it started to rain. I didn't go down and the rain grew stronger but I wouldn't give it up. Suddenly my happy thoughts went away and I fell. Luckily there was a big tree near the place I had fallen into and I slept under it. It was near Mr. Wiseman's house and when he was walking by with his wife they saw me. Then, some way I don't know, they took me to their house. I refused to stay there but they told me that I wasn't enough healthy to go away and that they would keep me there until I was better. They were very good to me and I started confiding on them. One day I told them I had been mad because of a girl that swore she'd never forget me and that then she had actually forgotten me. They taught me what was love that day and after that I started learning things with them. I decided to stay there and grow up... and try to find you."  
  
"That is a wonderful story, Mr. Wiseman... we should become a writer."  
  
"That is not my path... my path is to stay with you. With my Wendy!"  
  
"See if you understand this: when people grow up, they give up childish things! I gave up telling stories... and I gave up believing on you. That means I don't love you anymore!"  
  
"But I am here... I am real!"  
  
"No, you aren't. You are just a childish dream."  
  
"I'm real! Can't you see?"  
  
"I've seen so much that I can't distinguish who's real and who's a dream."  
  
"But... I can prove you I'm real. Real people have feelings, dream people haven't. I have feelings!"  
  
"The Peter Pan I met didn't have feelings."  
  
"Yes, he did! He was just to stupid to notice it, because he was afraid."  
  
"Come off it! This is a joke! You are a joke! You are a trick that my mind is playing on me. I know it!"  
  
She stood up and ran off to the house, dirtying off her dress and hair.  
  
A/N: Wait!... 1,2,3... You can jump. FINALLY, I UPDATED THIS THING. First, I want to think you all because you've waited though I promised to update it week to week. Then, I want to think you all for reviewing... and I want to say that there must be a lot of mistakes, for I'm Portuguese! Fifth chapter on progress... 


	5. Lies and Dissapointment

Lies and Disappointment  
  
The window was opened letting the wind enter the room. Daylight illuminated the place, letting see the whole place. There was a bed in the middle of it, where a young lady slept restlessly. Her face was pale, her auburn hair was slightly messy, has the lady kept turning and turning in her awful nightmares. She whispered the same name as that dreams got worse and worse. Then a tear would run down her cheek for no one had answered. Everyone could see how sick Wendy Darling was.  
  
"... She turned again and felt something rather wicked to be felt in that kind of dreams. The breeze. Was she already woken? Had all the horror ended? Could she go home now? She narrowed her eyes in fear of what she might see. No, she wasn't woken. This could only be a dream.  
  
A boy dressing in a rather weird costume was in front of her, smiling wildly. Where had he come from? Wendy had no need to ask that, for she already knew that somehow he had flied through her window.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm taking care of you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I love you!"  
  
"Then... I'm sorry... but you can go away..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I... don't... love you."  
  
"You don't?"  
  
"I... don't know. It's... you should have come sooner... You are too late!"  
  
"I'm here now!"  
  
"Well... if it's so... promise me something..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Promise you'll always be near me. Promise you'll never leave me."  
  
"I promise. Wherever I am, I'll always be near you."  
  
He turned around and flew through the window, making Wendy scream..."  
  
"Peter!" Wendy whispered, coming back to reality.  
  
"What? I'm here, Wendy!" Peter awoke when he heard his beloved Wendy call him.  
  
"Wha... What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm taking care of you."  
  
"You... You don't need to! I can take care of myself!"  
  
"Wendy, calm down! You're sick."  
  
"I don't need you! Go away!"  
  
"But... what about the promise?"  
  
Wendy's eyes widened as she heard Peter talking about the promise. How come did he know about her dream? Was it possible that they had dreamed the same thing? "Don't be silly, Wendy Darling! That isn't possible!" she thought to herself. But who was she to say what was possible and what wasn't? Hadn't she believed in fairies and mermaids? Hadn't she flied to a distant land where no one needed to grow up? Hadn't she met a brave boy who didn't want grow? Hadn't she kissed that boy to make him fight Captain James Hook? Hadn't she? "That was just my imagination!" she repeated to herself.  
  
She then returned to Peter, her eyes with small, almost invisible, tears in them. The same thoughts had come back to her. Wasn't that the boy who she kissed? Weren't the boys who made noise all over the house named the Lost Boys? Wasn't that the boy who had grown for her?  
  
"That was a silly dream of mine." She said after a while. "And... and you had promised you would never disturb my dreams again!"  
  
"No, it wasn't a 'silly' dream of 'yours'. It was a dream..."  
  
"I don't like to be rude, but you are not welcome in my room. Now, please, go away!"  
  
Peter just had no choice. Just a glimpse of Wendy's eyes made him realise what she felt for him right now – she hated him. He fought his tears and came near the door.  
  
"Goodbye..."  
  
She simply looked angrily at him, while he got out of the room.  
  
In the sitting room, there were two ladies. Both of them were talking animatedly until they heard someone coming down the stairs.  
  
"Well, Mrs. Darling, I'm going... er..."  
  
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Wiseman. Have a good day!"  
  
"Good day, then. Thank you." Peter waved at the two ladies and went out of the house."  
  
"Who is this boy, Mary?"  
  
"It's Peter Wiseman. He's the son of the vice-president of the bank."  
  
"May I know what was he doing here?"  
  
"Oh... He was really sweet. When he knew Wendy was sick he came to check on her and ended staying almost two days."  
  
"That seems very sweet, indeed!"  
  
"And... you should've seen, Millicent. He spent that time by her bed, holding her hand."  
  
"What a boy must he be."  
  
Someone gasped behind the wall, though Mrs. Darling and Aunt Millicent couldn't hear it. It was Wendy, who lied near the door to the sitting room, hearing the ladies; though sneaking was not something she liked doing. Now she knew that staying there had been a mistake for she had her eyes filled with tears. Peter had been spending almost two days by her bed, holding her hand, taking care of her... and all she did was saying, "Go away"!  
  
"Well... let it be has she says so!" he whispered angrily while he opening the window, letting the wind hit his face hard. But it was not as hard as the truth he had just heard. 


	6. Gone

Gone  
  
"But... What happened?"  
  
"He... we don't... oh, my God!"  
  
It was dark and cold in the streets of London. The wind hit the windows with all its rage, dancing with the ice-cold rain. The clouds, once fluffy and snow-white, were monstrous and grey, which turned the sky dark. It seemed that it was all a representation of what had happened hours ago.  
  
There was no one in the streets. Just some silly children who were called by their worried parents. Actually, that was why Wendy had found it strange to hear the doorbell rang if she, her parents and her brothers were there in the warmth of their house. She also found it strange that it was actually Mrs. Wiseman who lied in front of the house, freezing. She had a beige dress and a long coat covered her from head to toes, we could say.  
  
"Please, Mrs. Wiseman, calm down. And come in, you must be freezing." Wendy helped the lady in and took her umbrella and her coat. Then she led her to the sitting room. It was desert though it was the hottest place in that house. Her brothers were upstairs, in their room, her father was in his bureau and her mother and Aunt Millicent were probably in her parents' bedroom.  
  
"Thank you, Miss Darling..."  
  
"Call me Wendy, please."  
  
"Well, thank you very much. I was freezing."  
  
"The weather's strange. This morning it was sunny and now... it's horrible!"  
  
"And it certainly doesn't help you. I heard you were sick."  
  
"Yes, I was, but strangely I got better. I'm still a bit sick, but... Anyway, what were you about to tell me, ma'am?"  
  
"I don't know exactly when did it happened. I just know that it was this morning. You know, Peter had arrived home and went to his bedroom. All I know is that when I called him for lunch he didn't answer. Then I went to his bedroom and... he wasn't there... so... I wondered if you knew what could've happened..."  
  
"But... didn't he just go out for a walk or something?" Wendy asked quickly. A sharp pain grew in her stomach as she watched Mrs. Wiseman, who had her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"No... he couldn't. I would know... I would hear the door... or someone would tell me."  
  
The pain grew bigger and bigger, affecting Wendy's heart. Maybe Peter was at home, probably hidden... but, no, Peter had grown... he wouldn't play those childish games. "Then, how did he come out of the house?"  
  
"I remember the... window was opened... but he wouldn't... what if he was kidnapped?"  
  
"No, Mrs. Wiseman, Peter couldn't be kidnapped. He knows how to defend himself, certainly."  
  
"Then, where could he be?"  
  
"I don't know, Mrs. Wiseman, but as soon as I know anything I'll tell it to you."  
  
"Thank you, my dear." She led the lady to the doorway and said goodbye.  
  
Oh, lies. That's what she had just done – lied. That was a horrible, mean thing to do. That was a thing ladies shouldn't do. But she couldn't tell Mrs. Wiseman she thought Peter was in... but he couldn't be. She knew Peter had left everything, even Tinkerbell, to grow up, so he couldn't fly. But what if she was wrong?  
  
"Come on, Wendy, you can't think about it. He probably just went out for a walk and Mrs. Wiseman didn't realise it." She repeated to herself.  
  
But what if he hadn't gone out for a walk? What if he had flown to Neverland?  
  
"Wendy! Don't be so stupid. That place doesn't exist!"  
  
Didn't it? Then, how come did se meet the Lost Boys? How come did she know Peter?  
  
"A mere coincidence, that's. Come off it, Wendy, you're grown-up, you don't have time to think about these stupid games!"  
  
Tears started to form in her eyes. What was happening with her? What was that battle between two sides of her to?  
  
"Wendy, mother-"Nibs stopped talked when he saw Wendy lying in her bed with tears in her eyes. "Hey, what is it, Wendy? Why are you crying?"  
  
Wendy did not answer. She was too confused to think and she couldn't speak even if she wanted for it seemed that her voice had gone away to find Peter.  
  
Nibs just came to her bed and sat near Wendy. As long as he did this the rest of the boys entered the room with confused expressions and sat on the ground surrounding her bed.  
  
Wendy didn't react and just closed her eyes. The boys didn't walk away and simply stared at Wendy, waiting for her to tell them what was happening. They stayed like that for a while, Wendy pretending she was asleep, the boys trying to make her speak. It was Michael who broke the silence.  
  
"Look! Sleeping Beauty doesn't want to wake and there's no prince to kiss her!"  
  
Wendy opened her eyes slowly, a small smile forming in her lips. She sat on her bed and spoke.  
  
"Do you want to hear a story?" Wendy couldn't believe it. After two years of trying to take her fantasies away, two years of stopping telling stories. It had been so tough and now she was restarting it. She couldn't do this. She couldn't run from the truth and hide in her stories.  
  
The boys were static. They didn't moved for a while and if they did was just to pinch themselves. In the past two years they had always tried to make Wendy tell them a story every night and had failed. Now, she was offering them a story, after two years saying no.  
  
"Of course we do." They said after some minutes, smiling. And then they sat again, quietly, waiting for the story.  
  
"There was once a girl who lived with her parents and her brothers. She loved to tell them stories about pirates and mermaids and princesses. Every night she would tell them different stories and they would hear them. Their favourite was called 'Cinderella and the Pirates'. Well, one night when she was sleeping she heard a noise. She opened her eyes and saw a boy. That boy was Peter Pan..." she kept on telling the story. No, it wasn't just the story. It was her story.  
  
Though they already knew that story, the boys kept listening it, like it was a brand new story. And it was. Not the start, but the end.  
  
"... Peter never came to see Wendy again, but she always waited for him. Every night she would open the window and lay near it, looking at the stars, trying to find her Peter. But she couldn't live like that. She had to grow up. So, in the night before her fourteenth birthday, she closed the window and she did something she should have never done – she threw Peter's acorn away. Two years after that had happened, the girl saw Peter again. But he wasn't the same, he had grown..." Wendy's voice was starting to fade. If that was her story, it would never have a happy ending. And all stories should have a happy ending, she thought. Though she kept telling it, fighting the tears that were trying to fall.  
  
The boys were listening, but it was quite strange. They were used to add details but they couldn't do it now. This was a real story, this was happening to Wendy. Their smiles had vanished and, though they fought them, tears formed in their eyes.  
  
"... When she heard that Peter wasn't at home, she knew it – he was back to Neverland. But she didn't tell it to Mrs. Wiseman, though she hated lying. When the lady went home she went to her bedroom and sat in her bed. She was confused. She knew Peter had no contact with Tinkerbell. But she was sure she had gone to Neverland. She wanted to go to him and correct the mistakes she had done. But how could she fly?" Wendy stopped and looked at her brothers. They were trying hard not to cry. She felt guilty. She had been the one who had started that. She was used to see them happy after she told a story, but now they were almost crying. She was almost crying too. She needed to stop the story. After all, the story was in that very point so she couldn't find a way to end it.  
  
"That... was a sad story. We don't like sad stories." Said Tootles.  
  
"Are you mad at me?" she was a little girl again. A little girl who had made the mistake of telling a sad story. A little girl who was afraid her brothers were mad at her. She was sixteen no longer. She was ten, she was eight, she was four...  
  
"No, we're not mad at you."  
  
"We're going to help you!"  
  
"That story is going to have the most beautiful of all ends!"  
  
Wendy smiled. At least she could count on them. They would always be there to protect. She knew it. "Do you know any way of contacting Tinkerbell?" Wendy's smile didn't fade when she saw the sad looks on the boys' face. They didn't know but it wasn't their fault if Peter had ran away. It was her fault so she should go to him by herself, then.  
  
AN: Hello, guys! Wait... one... two... three... I FINNALLY UPDATED!!! Well, I have good and bad news. First, THE BAD ONES: I think we're coming to an end. starts crying madly until her brother comes and hits her  
  
THE GOOD NEWS: I'm on holidays now so I guess you won't have to wait two/three months for the next chapter. And if you really liked my fanfics, here is my upcoming fanfics list:  
  
- I'm planning to write another fanfic on Peter Pan (I think it'll be a humour one);  
  
- I'm thinking about translating my Portuguese H.P. fanfics (well, not fanfics, they're shorts and songfics);  
  
- I may write a big fanfic about Harry Potter (and some little ones – the problem is I support Harry/Hermione);  
  
- I've been thinking about a shortfic for His Dark Materials.  
  
CLUES FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER(S): If you like Coldplay and/or Avril Lavigne you'll probably like the next two chapters. Have you seen Shrek 2? Have you liked it? If you do, you'll like a bit of what may happen in the next chapters (yeah, we'll have a bit of fun)  
  
QUESTIONS: Do you know anything about the release of the DVD (Peter Pan) in Portugal? If you do, please e-mail me.  
  
THANX to everyone who reviewed, thanx to everyone who read this (and didn't review), thanx to everyone who would like to read this (but didn't), thanx to everyone who read this but thought it was a st (at least they read it, huh?), thanx to my friends, thanx to my teachers (no, I got it wrong, I don't wanna thank them), thanx to myself... (OKAY, it ends here, no more thanx, I'm not receiving an Oscar)  
  
Well, see ya next chapter... 'Till then HUGS'N'THIMBLES (this is specially for Jeremy).  
  
Annie 


	7. Away From You

Away From You  
  
AN: Guys, I'm sorry to tell you that what I told you about this chapter including a song from Coldplay is not exactly true. It's all because I was too bored to search the song in Lyrics.com so I picked a pencil and a paper and started listening the music. So I was all happy writing the song in a notebook when I realised something – "I'm Portuguese, I can't do this on my own. Besides this people have strange accents so I don't know what they mean." So, I decided I was not going to put the whole the song here, just a part that as got something to do with this chapter.  
  
Lyrics: "In my place" by Coldplay and "Slipped Away" by Avril Lavigne  
  
In my place, in my place,  
  
Were lines that I couldn't change  
  
I was lost, oh yeah  
  
I was lost, I was lost  
  
Crossed lines I shouldn't have crossed  
  
I was lost, oh yeah  
  
Though they were far away from each other, London and Neverland seemed to be under the same sky. The same cutting wind, the same rain, the same monstrous clouds...  
  
"Tink, what has happened here?" a voice echoed somewhere in Neverland. "Neverland is different."  
  
Oh, if it was different. Neverland was no longer a happy place. It was even darker than darkness itself, it was sadder than sadness itself. It seemed a heart. A heart that was once full of love and happiness. A heart that had been betrayed and was now full of horrible feelings like hate.  
  
The trees that were once tall and full of green leaves were now short and naked. That smiles that seemed to be there somewhere in their trunks had vanished. Instead the trees seemed to make an awful noise, imitating a loud scream of pain. Roses dark as the night, with many sharp spins, had replaced the beautiful flowers that used to be all over the island.  
  
"I don't know" said Tink in her jingle bells language "I guess you'll have to ask that to the mermaids!"  
  
"Tink, can you take me to our hideout?" she said nothing and made her way to the Lost Boys' hideout, with Peter flying behind her.  
  
Then it was it. Neverland was like that because of him.  
  
"You're part of Neverland," had said the Mermaid Queen "Neverland acts in due to the feelings of its inhabitants. But as you were claimed to be the strongest, the chief, your feelings started to have more influence in Neverland. When you left, Neverland was beautiful because you were happy with your life; when you were growing up it was even more beautiful because you were doing something that would be really great to you; when you started realising Wendy didn't love you, you got sad and your heart closed, and Neverland just acted in due to your feelings. Now, Peter, you can't hide your feelings in the place they were born. You can't make your heart a shell. Wendy felt like this during three whole years. She thought you didn't love her. She thought that you had forgotten her. So, she is afraid you're going to leave her if she shows that she still loves you. You are grown now, you can't hide your true feelings."  
  
You didn't see the hate in her eyes, he answered the Mermaid Queen in his mind. She had a hate that I'll never forgot.  
  
He lied here, sitting on his bed while thinking about what he had done. He was confused. He hated Wendy, he wanted to hate her, but in the bottom of his heart he knew he still loved her.  
  
Oh, how lost he was. It was his entire fault. He shouldn't have brought Wendy to Neverland, he shouldn't have spent so much time with her. He shouldn't have let her kiss him. He shouldn't have loved her. He had crossed the love line, a line he had sworn he would never cross.  
  
I miss you  
  
I miss you so bad  
  
I don't forget you  
  
Oh, it's so sad  
  
At the very same time, Wendy lied in her bed too. Her bedroom window was opened and she didn't care if there was rain in her bedroom. She wanted to cry, though she couldn't. She had no tears left.  
  
Though she didn't cry, her heart did. She missed Peter really bad. She cursed herself several times. It was because of her that Peter was in Neverland.  
  
I hope you can hear me  
  
I remember it clearly  
  
The day you slipped away  
  
Was the day I found  
  
It won't be the same  
  
The same her image kept appearing in her mind – Peter saying goodbye to her. She remembered it clearly. She had been stupid that time. She hadn't understood that hew was really going away.  
  
I didn't get around to kiss you  
  
Goodbye on the hand  
  
I wish that I could see you again  
  
I know that I can't  
  
I hope you can hear me  
  
I remember it clearly  
  
She didn't even kiss him one last time. She didn't even say goodbye. Couldn't she see him again, just to say goodbye? Obviously she couldn't, there was no way to do it.  
  
Now you're gone  
  
Now you're gone  
  
There you go  
  
There you go  
  
Somewhere I can't bring you back  
  
Now you're gone  
  
Now you're gone  
  
There you go  
  
There you go  
  
Somewhere you're not coming back  
  
He was gone. He had gone to Neverland. It was like he was dead, because she just couldn't bring him back... and he wouldn't come back.  
  
Her last teardrop ran down her cheek and fell in her bed.  
  
AN: This teardrop is very important for the next chapter. I think that chapter will be the one were we relax a bit. Now, about the song "Slipped Away" (it's the second song) – these isn't the whole song, there are some parts missing. Actually the song was written in memory to Avril's grandpa, so it really doesn't go with the text. Well, I think this chapter really sucks so some reviews wouldn't be bad to me.  
  
Hugs'n'Thimbles,  
  
Annie 


	8. Teardrop Miracle

Teardrop Miracle  
  
As the teardrop fell, Wendy saw the night become brighter and brighter. Wendy wondered if it already was morning, since the seconds her teardrop had last where like hours to her. She turned to the open window and checked that it was still night, though she had had the sensation that it had gotten brighter. She turned back to her pillow and rested her head in there.  
  
She felt like there was something missing, though it was still there, away, but there. She felt like someone had stolen something from her though she still had that stolen thing. She felt like she was in the country and the flowers where missing though she could smell them and see her beautiful colours.  
  
"Don't cry dear, for I am here!" she heard a voice speak.  
  
She looked around quickly and she saw nothing, no one. "I must have gone crazy!" she muttered to herself.  
  
"Now don't say that, dear!" that voice was starting to irritate her. It was the voice of a woman, a woman with a lot of energy.  
  
"Who are you?" she said more to herself than to the room.  
  
"Didn't you call me, sweetheart?" she suddenly saw something. There was a small light floating, like... But it couldn't be Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell had a jingle voice, she didn't even speak English... and Tinkerbell's light was simply yellow – this one had the seven colours of the rainbow and even more. The 'light' stopped in front of her face and then landed in her bed. It was a fairy.  
  
It had got nothing to do with Tinkerbell. She had her grey hair tied in an elegant knot on the top of her head and brown eyes under her glasses. She wore a blue dress, like she was going to a ball. She seemed to have a lot of energy, though she was old.  
  
"Who are you?" Wendy repeated.  
  
"I'm Godmother Fairy."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You didn't call me, was it, dear? Oh God, this always happens. I don't get paid for flying hours and hours and then do nothing, did you know?" Godmother Fairy seemed to be quite angry though she didn't loose her energy. "Well, goodbye, dear, got more to do... Take this, you might need to contact me." She said, giving Wendy a small blue paper rectangle. It had the picture of a teardrop and it said "Godmother Fairy" in big letters and, in smaller letters, it said "Just a teardrop away".  
  
"Wait!"  
  
"What is it?... No, you're not going to ask me for help, are you? God, this always happens to me! Well, what is it, then?"  
  
Wendy looked at her and answered, "I want to go to Neverland, I have to find Peter Pan!"  
  
"Peter Pan? That means you know Tinkerbell! I'm her godmother, you know. But... whose godmother am I not?" she said energetically. "Well, come now, sweetheart, I'll take you to Neverland. Do you have any happy thoughts left?" Wendy nodded and walked to the window. Soon she felt the pixie dust and then she 'spread her wings and soared'.  
  
Neverland was dark and consumed. It was going to end. There was no way he could get the old Neverland back, as there was no way he could get that Neverland. It would all finish. If Peter died with that hate expression, hating the girl he loved, Neverland would either be worse than Hell or would be burned, vanished like there would be a rubber that could just pass there and make it disappear in a matter of seconds. And in that perfect moment, Peter felt like he was going to die. He was lost in his place, he was lost in himself, he could not see anything but Death. Death, his Death, a person in black robes, with no sight of flesh, bone or skin, a simple mutter calling him to his end. And there was nothing surrounding him except a cloud that would never go away... there was no saviour, just his death.  
  
"What is this? This isn't Neverland!" Wendy yelled at the sad trees and at the hurtful dark roses. It wasn't the Neverland she knew.  
  
"Yes, it is, dear! I never get wrong when I come here." Said Godmother.  
  
"Will you lead me to the Lost Boys' hideout?" maybe Peter would be there and maybe he would explain her what was happening.  
  
"Of course, dear." Said Godmother before something started beeping somewhere near her.  
  
AN: This is chapter 8 and I'm relieved to see that I'm finally posting it. Thanks to my friend Taylor Davy, who was the first to read it. Taylor, you rock and I'm sorry that I didn't write to you in the later days.  
  
Just to let you know – remember that I posted a 'review' saying I was not going to finish this chapter until the end of the week? THAT WAS A BIG LIE. Why? I finished it in that same day... but I'm the laziest girl in the world, so... But now, unfortunately, I had (and am having) some troubles with the computer, which is only good for you, because I'm sending all the chapters TODAY.  
  
THANX TO YA ALL THAT REVIEWED. YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!! 


	9. Heartache

Heartache  
  
Peter woke with a pain in his heart, screams strangled in his throat. He felt something inside him. His heart. His heart that had been pained and broken was there, inside him. Its pieces reunited slowly, causing him to gasp with pain. And he felt something else. His heart should be ice-cold, freezing, and dark as Neverland was in that moment. No, he didn't feel that. He wanted to go and live inside his own heart, because it felt warm and cosy. No hatred entered that room, that heart, no death could beat him.  
  
Soon he realized that there was no space left to hate Wendy. Soon he realized she was trying to reach the middle of his heart and, secretly, he wanted her to do it as quickly as she could. Wendy was there in Neverland and he felt like the hatred that had inhabited his heart in these later days was gone. He couldn't hate her. It was predicted; he had to love Wendy as she would love him.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"What is it, Godmother Fairy?"  
  
Godmother Fairy said nothing. She just took something from inside her big and elegant knot. It was something like a golden pocket clock. There were no numbers; instead, there were odd symbols and one of them was red and beeping furiously.  
  
"This is my... er... I haven't given it a name actually, but it calls me when someone is in love danger or something like that." Her voice was worried and her eyes seemed to be 'attached' to the pocket clock. "Well, er, I've got to go! Good luck!" she said after disappearing.  
  
Wendy felt abandoned, alone in that land of hatred. There was no one to save her from the black heart of this Neverland, no one to take her to the Lost Boys' hideout, where she'd feel warm, in home, and where she'd find the master of her heart – Peter Pan.  
  
But now it was all lost. Just simply lost. Even more than her.  
  
She turned around hoping to see a door, which would take her either to the Lost Boys' hideout or her house. But the only things that were there were small, unhappy and naked trees, dangerous black roses and a path made of dead leaves and little stones.  
  
If only she could fly. But it would also be impossible – she had no happy thoughts left, even if there was pixie dust.  
  
She looked at the ground, with shame. She was there because of herself. Peter was there because of her. She found a spot that would be good, if she could call it that, and sat there, never minding her blue nightgown.  
  
She pulled her knees tighter to her body and covered them with her arms and face, when she felt something fall and crash in her. Not exactly crash. She just felt the soft raindrop against her body. Grey ugly clouds had come to play again, and make the little raindrops fall as they told their stories. She pulled up her knees even tighter to her chest, her own 'raindrops' falling down her cheeks.  
  
She was alone. She was empty. She was lost. The wind grew stronger taking the deadly scaring brown leaves away. The pavement was now only big grey stone, wild grass and one or two of the dead leaves.  
  
A pain in her heart grew along the strength of the wind and the height of the raindrops, which were getting heavier and heavier. Her nightgown was all wet and heavy and dirty.  
  
She cursed herself under her breath, screamed in little whisper and cried with no tears. She was lost, she was fading though she could feel her heart beating.  
  
Who would now come to pick her... and embrace her... and muter small comfort words? She closed her eyes and imagined herself. She was in a familiar, warm place. Nah, not her house – the Lost Boys' hideout. She was sitting in Peter's bed and fell warm and cosy in his arms. He shoved her hair and said, "I love you!" and then 'thimbled' her.  
  
She opened her eyes and saw no warm place, no Peter embracing her, no thimble. She saw a horror called "hatred", a horror that had been Neverland.  
  
Her light fade slowly, like when the day turns into night.  
  
She heard a noise, like something moving. She pretended it was the wind, but when she heard that same noise closer and louder, she felt frightened. She saw a shadow and as soon as she knew, her light was no longer there.  
  
Author Notes: Okay, this isn't the end... I'M SUCH A BIG LIAR!!!! I know I said I'd end this today, but... I can't help it, my imagination is full of another stories, so I can't keep going with this one. ARGH! But, unluckily, I'm going to stay without computer for a while (I mean, for quite a long while – I don't even know if I'll get this [or a new one] back in the next year!) So, I wanted to end this thing, so I could live happy that at least I completed a fanfic. That's why I can't publish the other fanfics I was writing – one for P.P. called "Fallen Angel, Broken Wings" and another for Harry Potter (in Portuguese – I was thinking about translating it later) named "Deusa da Escuridão" or, in English, "Goddess of the Darkness". Well, that's all – love for every1 who reviewed (YOU ROCK!) and for Taylor...  
  
Hugs'n'Thimbles  
  
Annie 


End file.
